5 Fun Summer Camps for Adults

If you have fond memories of summer camp and would like to relive them, you’re not alone. The American Camp Association has seen a 46% increase in adult camps among its accredited camps since last year, says CEO Peg Smith. There are now 2,400 camps nationwide accredited with the association.

Grown-ups are looking to camp-type programs for many reasons. Americans are pressed for time and money, so a vacation with all activities included can save both their sanity and budget. “A lot of Americans are saying, ‘I just want to take it easy and unwind,’” says Robert Jones, general manager of Lake Naomi Club, a recreation community in the Poconos, which offers a day camp for children and activities such as sailing, fitness, and dance classes for the parents.

He compared the experience, which is easier on the wallet and the stress levels, to a weeklong theme park vacation, which can be both more hectic and cost thousands of dollars for a family. “They want to get a bang for their buck and get as much from their vacation as they can,” Jones says.

If you’re like most working adults, you don’t get enough vacation every year to spend a month in summer camp, but you can take a week or two for a camp-type experience that can be as eclectic as the summer camps available for kids. Most adult camps offer long-weekend, one- and two-week programs, or even daily rates to accommodate those vacation schedules.

Americans are pressed for time and money, so a camp vacation with all activities included can save both their sanity and budget.

Prices can range from thousands of dollars for living a rock star or professional athlete fantasy with real-life sports and music celebrities, to a few hundred to revisit your childhood sleepaway camp, complete with arts and crafts. Here are a few of the options.

1. Take Off

If you remember chugging Tang because the astronauts drank it or have always wondered what it feels like to experience a loss of gravity, you can play astronaut in the Adult Space Academy at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Hunstville, Alabama. For $549 per person, campers over 18 can spend a three-day weekend training on astronaut simulators and learning all about the space program.

2. Rock Out

Did you ever want to be Joan Jett? Try a rock star fantasy camp, in Las Vegas. A two-day Rock Star 101 camp for beginners (no musical background necessary) starts at $1,699; a four-day camp with members of the band Yes is $5,999 and includes a live performance.

3. Get Cooking

Fancy yourself a foodie? The Culinary Institute of America offers Boot Camp programs on everything from the basics of cooking and baking to different world cuisines. Courses range from a two-day BBQ camp to five-day gourmet camp and are held at three locations: the main campus in Upstate New York, and locations in the Napa Valley and San Antonio, Texas. Prices range from $895 for two-day programs to $2,195 for five-day boot camps. Citi cardmembers can also purchase tickets to special culinary programs through Citi® PrivatePass®.

4. Join the Circus

If you dream of running away and joining the circus, try Camp Winnarainbow, a circus and performing arts camp in Northern California founded by hippie icon Wavy Gravy. The 35-year-old camp offers flexible programs for adults; prices are $675 for a six-day program or $120 per day.

5. Just Chill Out

But if you truly just want the summer camp experience that you remember from childhood, you can do it all over again. Camp Ton-A-Wandah, a traditional summer camp in Western North Carolina, offers a Grown Up Girls Getaway in October. Campers stay in cabins and have a choice of all the camp activities and classes, as well as massages, makeup consultations, and more, for $350 per person. Or try the YMCA’s Camp Chief Ouray in the Colorado Rockies; it offers a five-day women-only fitness camp in August for $430, or $410 for Y members.